An unexpectedly early start to the 2024 hurricane season came in the form of Category 4 storm, Hurricane Beryl. The system made landfall over Grenada’s Carriacou Island around 11 am EDT; the strongest hurricane to pass through the area since 1851 with sustained maximum windspeeds of 150mph. Unseasonably warm ocean temperatures have created optimal conditions for the formation of hurricanes, Beryl is the first in what is anticipated to be a lengthy hurricane season.

Several islands in the Caribbean are under ongoing hurricane warnings, most notably, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands, Grenada and Tobago. Airports remain closed as the storm system continues its trajectory, poised for landfall again over the Gulf of Mexico, should it survive its journey over land.